Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response worked through the LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere, Illinois. Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response and LCC L.E.R.T. chainsaw volunteers completed work at thirteen sites in Belvidere, Cortland, and Carpentersville, with many being multi-day jobs due to the number of trees downed, damaged, and technical skills required to safely remove them. The site many L.E.R.T. volunteers worked on the most over several days were two neighbors. They had multiple leaning and downed trees between their homes and on their property. One neighbor was a new homeowner, and the other was a L.E.R.T. team member. Both said they felt overwhelmed by the unexpected devastation and how all of the trees would be removed safely. The L.E.R.T. team member said being on the receiving end of help and care was very different. The new homeowner couldn’t believe that we would spend several days working on just their home and showing her Christ’s love and care. She hugged many volunteers and cried tears of relief at how she was blessed by all.
If you are so moved, please donate to the LCC Disaster Response Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. Please pray for all of the communities affected by these devastating tornadoes, including the LCC Disaster Response volunteers and staff that help during the long recovery process.
LCC works in coordination with LCMS Disaster Response national and local districts of the LCMS. Fourteen Tornadoes Resulted in One Death, Multiple Injuries, |
After collaboration with local Emergency Management officials and an in-person National Weather Service Damage Survey, it has been determined that fourteen tornadoes along with a 70-90 mph wind event devastated the Northern Illinois District last Thursday, March 30. This same storm system caused 84 tornadoes, 325 wind, and 168 hail events in 8 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. |
LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers worked on one block for two days serving five different homeowners that each had multiple large pine trees leaning or downed on their properties. Each of these families were very appreciative to have willing hands and hearts to work hard to make their homes safe again.
Helping a Young Family with Large Tree Removal LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers helped a member of Immanuel DeKalb with a large tree on their roof and in their yard. This young family is facing multiple serious health issues and felt so blessed to have the support and assistance to make their home safe at no cost to them. They truly believe that God is with them and will provide for their needs as they arise. |
She was very grateful for the help to get this removed so they could enter and exit their home safely.
She was also very happy to receive a cross on a slice from their tree to share with family. It seemed very appropriate and special this Holy Week.
LCC Disaster Response Invited to Help with Catastrophic Tornado Recovery in Little Rock, Arkansas
We NEVER charge those we serve!
LCC works in coordination with LCMS Disaster Response national and local districts of the LCMS.
Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia
Thousands of Structures with Major Damage or Destroyed
The EF-4 tornado obliterated Silver City and Rolling Fork, Mississippi, with winds of 170 mph. “The city is gone,” shared Mayor Eldridge Walker of Rolling Fork. At least twenty-six people were killed and dozens injured after powerful storms and one long-track tornado pummeled the Southeast last Friday night, ripping roofs off homes, leveling some neighborhoods, and knocking out power for thousands, according to local officials.
Search and rescue efforts have now been completed. Due to the extensive tornado damage, specialized heavy equipment is needed to clear structural debris giving access to homeowner properties. LCC Disaster Response is on standby.
LCC never goes where we are not invited. The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund so that we may show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.
Serving Thirty-Three Homeowner Sites with Chainsaws and Heavy Equipment
Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response, and LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) volunteers have continued to respond to multiple requests for chainsaw assistance in several towns, including Palatine, Inverness, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Campton Hills, Elburn, La Fox, Marengo, Belvidere, McHenry, South Elgin, and West Dundee. Currently, we have completed work at thirty-three homeowner sites, with a few more requests for L.E.R.T. volunteers to complete when the ground can dry so equipment will not sink in the yards.
Last week, L.E.R.T. volunteers completed work at several different congregation members’ homes using the lift and/or bobcat. Each homeowner was very appreciative of the assistance and care shown to them. This local ice storm was an opportunity to demonstrate how L.E.R.T. volunteers can serve in our own communities.
LCC never goes where we are not invited.
We NEVER charge those we serve!
LCC Lutheran Early Response Teams Help Northern Illinois Residents with Damage from Recent Ice Storm
2/28/2023
Serving Twenty Families with Chainsaws and Heavy Equipment |
Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response, and LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) volunteers have responded to many requests for chainsaw assistance in several towns, including Palatine, Inverness, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Campton Hills, Elburn, La Fox, Marengo, Belvidere, and West Dundee. Currently, we have completed work at twenty homeowner sites, but more requests continue to come in daily, so L.E.R.T. volunteers are continuing to serve this week. |
Helping Missionary Serving in Belize
A L.E.R.T. volunteer from St. John-Wheaton went to his home the same day as his request. He was able to remove several limbs from the roof and patch a small hole so there would be no leaking. We sent pictures of the repair and clean-up to Gary upon completion.
The following note of thanks was received:
Sue and I cannot thank you enough. Being so far from home, you can imagine how this incident was weighing on our minds. As we serve others here, you have served us back home. What beautiful Christian symmetry. Much love to all our friends at LCC.
God's richest blessings to you all,
Gary and Sue Kessler
GEO Missionary to Belize
Assisting Widow with Large Tree Damage
Serving Pastor and His Family with Tree Damage
Willing Hearts and Hands Help Deaconess with Uprooted Trees
Helping Crystal Lake Neighborhood Hit Hard During Storm
LCC never goes where we are not invited.
We NEVER charge those we serve!
Helping Impacted Individuals and Families in Hardest-Hit Areas |
Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, Jamie Miller, LCC DR Staff, and twenty-seven LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) chainsaw volunteers have completed work at sixty-two sites after two weeks of serving in Selma, Alabama. They were able to provide debris removal and utilize chainsaws, lift, and bobcats to remove many downed and damaged trees from tornado-devastated properties.
Pastor Ed Brashier, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, will continue to operate a LCMS base camp for L.E.R.T. chainsaw volunteers through Pastor Steven Washington at Trinity Lutheran Church in Selma until at least February 20th as there are many more residents needing assistance.
“It was our blessing that they came to offer their service. God manages to have angels all around us. I say that they are our guardian angels,” shares a homeowner. “Of all the groups here, I’m most proud and elated that we have a Lutheran Response Team and I’ve been singing it all over town. Just to know that we are in that mix of groups that volunteer and donate their time. It’s a blessing.”
“We Were Blessed by Angels”
Mr. and Mrs. W. and their mother had just moved to Selma from Connecticut in November. They have two homes next to each other, along with a barn and in-ground pool surrounded by several large shade trees. Unfortunately, about twenty trees on their property fell during the tornado filling their pool, landing on the roof of their barn, and blocking access to their yards and driveway. No one had come by to offer them any assistance, and they did not know how they were going to clear their properties to make them usable and safe again. |
They could not believe that a large group of L.E.R.T. volunteers would come and help them. They worked alongside the team and kept telling everyone they did not know why they were so blessed by these angels that so willingly and joyfully helped them. They were also overwhelmed by the cross presented to them, carved into a piece of their tree and signed by all present. Many thanks and hugs were given to each volunteer. |
Elderly Homeowner Trusts L.E.R.T. Volunteers to Clear Her Property
She stated she asked her neighbors what they thought of the work done by the L.E.R.T. volunteers, and after hearing great reviews, she stated she was willing to trust us to help rid her front yard of very dangerous large hanging limbs.
She was well pleased with the men who used the lift to make her property safe again, shared the mercy and compassion of Christ, and presented her with a quilt from their congregation.
Illinois:
Heartland Normal – Tony Buchberger
Immanuel DeKalb – Pete and Christel Springmire
Immanuel Dundee – Matt Flynn
Immanuel Palatine – Jim Beckley
Lord of Life Elburn – Terry and Mary Kramer, Max Metz, Larry Zagorski
Shepherd of the Cross McHenry – Alan Holm
St. John East Moline – Ken and Janet Hill
St. John Wheaton – Marty Johnson, Dave Mummah, Dave Schlesselman, Rich Wren
St. John Wilmette – Tom Morrison
St. Paul Rockford – Dean and Carol Ulrich
Zion Ottawa – Dave and Cindy Reif
Indiana:
St. John Dillsboro – Steve Black, Ruth Weisbrod
Iowa:
Trinity Davenport – Ken Stotmeister
Wisconsin:
St. Paul Grafton – Mark and Beverly Breuggemann, Stu Natale
We NEVER charge those we serve!
LCC works in coordination with LCMS Disaster Response national and local districts of the LCMS.
Last week, LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers Laura Ciletti and CJ Kraft from Brookfield Lutheran Church in Brookfield and Roger Kautz from Prince of Peace in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, deployed to drywall homes in the Copperfield Subdivision. They were joined by a team from Oklahoma as well. Rev. Ross Johnson, Director of LCMS Disaster Response, observed the L.E.R.T. teams working and had dinner with them.
They shared that they “had a blast” serving and enjoying time with the church host families. They felt it was a blessing to serve.
Helping Impacted Individuals and Families in Hardest-Hit Areas |
There was a loss of nine lives in Alabama and Georgia from this storm. One EF-3 tornado was on the ground for 23 miles through Selma, Alabama. It affected one-third of the town. In Selma alone, 3,300 homes, businesses, schools, and churches were damaged or destroyed by the tornado.
Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response and twenty-four LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) staff and volunteer teams have been serving homeowners through Pastor Steve Washington at Trinity Lutheran Church in Selma, Alabama. In their first week, chainsaw volunteers have completed work at twenty-six sites. They will continue to serve in this hard-hit community until February 4 with the LCMS Southern District.
Rev. Chris Singer, LCC President & CEO, joined Rev. Ross Johnson, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Director of Disaster Response, and Rev. Ed Brashier, LCMS Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, to visit affected homeowners and see the L.E.R.T. volunteers in action.
Sheltered in Their Hallway, 95-Year-Old Couple Shares “We Never Want to Go through this Again!”
Larry said he watched a neighbor’s roof fly through the air. They were very scared they would not survive but compared to the destroyed homes just a block over from them, they know God was good and spared them. They both stated, “I never want to go through this again!”
We were able to clear the fallen trees and debris that fell on and around Larry's garden and around his shed. They loved the quilt presented to them by a L.E.R.T. member.
Homeowner Helps L.E.R.T. Team Clear His Property
LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers also helped Mr. M., who lived next door, remove a lot of fallen and damaged trees, limbs, and debris from his one-acre property. It took three skid steers, a 50’ boom lift, and twelve volunteers all day to complete the work at his and Larry’s homes. Mr. M. also worked all day with the L.E.R.T. volunteers. He was very appreciative of all of the willing hands to make his property safe again. He could not believe we would bring all this equipment from so far away to help him at no cost. He thanked and hugged each of us several times before we left. |
Couple with Historic Home Blessed by L.E.R.T. Volunteers
Mr. and Mrs. M. have an old historic home that has been in their family for five generations. Mr. M. is recovering from a recent heart transplant and cannot do any work on his own yet. The tornado caused major damage and destruction in their neighborhood. Their home had some roof damage, but they had three badly damaged pecan trees left standing; one tree leaning on their shed and other trees with large widow makers hanging in their front and backyards. The LCC L.E.R.T. team worked two days with the boom lift and careful rigging at their home in order to remove these dangerous trees and make their property safe again to enjoy. They were so grateful for the help and pleased to get to know each “brother and sister in Christ that was sent by God to bless them.” |
LCC never goes where we are not invited.
We NEVER charge those we serve!
LCC works in coordination with LCMS Disaster Response national and local districts of the LCMS.
Helping Impacted Individuals and Families in Hardest-Hit Areas
Nine lives lost in Alabama and Georgia
One EF-3 tornado was on the ground for 23 miles through Selma, Alabama. It affected one-third of the town. In Selma alone, 3,300 homes, businesses, schools, and churches were damaged or destroyed by the tornado. This was part of a long-track EF-3 tornado that went through three states with 150 mph winds. It was on the ground for 76 miles and was ¾-mile wide going through Selma and into Georgia.
Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response and LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) staff and volunteer teams will be serving homeowners through Pastor Steve Washington at Trinity Lutheran Church in Selma, Alabama, from Sunday, January 22, to at least Saturday, February 4.
“All I Could Do Was Cry Out to God to Protect Me” Shares a Wife Who Sheltered in Place
She told us how scared she was to hear the sounds of trees falling and glass breaking as the tornado passed through her neighborhood. She stated, “All I could do was cry out to God to protect me.” After it passed, she went outside to see many of her neighbors' homes destroyed. She could hear some crying out for help under debris, and she could just cry and pray. Thankfully, no one perished, but many of her friends have lost everything.
She is so grateful for all of the help that has arrived to help her community. She was especially thankful for the LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) volunteers that worked at her home all day to make it safe again.
Church Member Homeowner Serves Alongside of L.E.R.T. Team
Helping an Elderly Gentleman Who Rode Out Storm in His Closet
He had a lot of tree damage, and a large limb came through his roof. He feels he was blessed as he looks at all of the homes destroyed and loss around him. He was very thankful for the professional help and care shown to him.
We NEVER charge those we serve!
LCC works in coordination with LCMS Disaster Response national and local districts of the LCMS.
Working with LCMS Disaster Response & LCMS Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator to Help Impacted Individuals and Families in Hardest-Hit Areas
Nine lives lost in Alabama and Georgia
"For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” (Isaiah 49:13)
Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response has been invited by Rev. Ross Johnson, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Director of Disaster Response, and Rev. Ed Brashier, LCMS Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, to provide chainsaw assistance with the lift and heavy equipment, and assist residents in sorting and salvaging belongings in the lower income, hard-hit neighborhoods of Selma, Alabama. Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response and LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) staff and volunteer teams will be serving homeowners through Pastor Steve Washington at Trinity Lutheran Church in Selma, Alabama, from Sunday, January 22, to at least Saturday, February 4.
LCC never goes where we are not invited.
We NEVER charge those we serve!
LCC works in coordination with LCMS Disaster Response national and local districts of the LCMS.
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